Proper support of cloud-based apps

Such support is one of the primary reasons that enterprises are replacing first-generation SD-WAN products with second-generation offerings. In fact, the Achilles' heel of first-generation SD-WAN offerings was a lack of support for cloud applications. You couldn’t ask your cloud provider to host the boxes required at that end of the WAN link. And while network function virtualization (NFV) ultimately made it possible to support virtual instances of those appliances, cloud providers didn’t support every tool, meaning buyers would require a patchwork quilt of offerings to support their cloud-based apps.

Second-gen, cloud-based SD-WAN enables traffic to be handed off directly to other cloud resources -- a massive boon for any enterprise supporting cloud-based applications. Beware, however, of key differences in how this is achieved. If the SD-WAN is delivered by a service provider that requires bookend POPs (access and egress), ensure the solution can meet your availability and scalability requirements.

Know more: advantages of SDN

You'll also want to avoid an architecture that requires your traffic to transverse an SD-WAN controller. Instead, look for an SD-WAN offering with controllers that are multitenant and cloud-hosted and that separate the data plane from the control plane. This will enable your data to be routed directly from branch offices to application servers, simplifying scalability and sidestepping security vulnerabilities.